


Furever Family

by FaiaSakura



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cat Cafés, Cats, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Kosmo - Freeform, M/M, No Season 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 07:26:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17914436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaiaSakura/pseuds/FaiaSakura
Summary: While Keith and Shiro are on shore leave, they find an unexpected new addition to their family at a cat café.





	Furever Family

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aquarelleprisms](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=aquarelleprisms).



> Happy Sheithlentines, aquarelleprisms! Hope you enjoy this. I went for a cute prompt involving cats. <3
> 
> Thank you to [ailurea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ailurea/pseuds/ailurea) for betaing!!

“Oh! This is where I fell while trying to catch a rare beetle!” Shiro says as he points towards a river with clear trickling water, only a few feet deep.  “Jii-chan wasn’t impressed when I got home, even though my clothes were mostly dry by then.”

Keith imagines a young Shiro outfitted in exploration gear, so dedicated in pursuit of his quarry that he doesn’t notice an entire river in the way. He snorts softly at the image of how sheepish Shiro would be afterwards.

He holds Shiro’s hand as they walk along the forest path in silence, the comfortable kind that speaks of being settled in their own skin and each other’s presence. Kosmo runs ahead of them, chasing after a brightly-colored butterfly.

Shore leave on Earth is rare in between their continuing efforts to restore peace to the universe and Keith wants to savor every minute of the peace he can steal away with Shiro. This time, they are visiting Shiro’s hometown in Japan.

They hiked to a clearing last night, one Shiro and his grandfather used to frequently camp at. It’s located far away enough from the cities and other sources of light pollution that the view of the stars is just as breathtaking as actually being among them – a dazzling array of twinkling lights with colored planets and the swirl of the Milky Way all visible to the naked eye. Keith can see why that view was what first sparked Shiro’s interest in space.

The trail they follow leads them to a different place in town than where they left from yesterday. Keith whistles, calling his wolf back to them, aware of how intimidating Kosmo might be to an ordinary passerby.

“Is there anywhere you wanted to get lunch?” Keith asks. Shiro dragged him to what was supposedly the number one oden stall in all of Japan yesterday, and while Keith didn’t exactly have any other point of reference for good oden, it was pretty damn tasty.

“I don’t have anywhere particular in mind. I figured we could wander around and see what looks good.” Shiro gives him a small smile as he strokes his thumb along the back of Keith’s hand.

Keith leans closer to Shiro as they walk, so their shoulders brush with every step.

There’s soft bustling around them as people go along their usual ways: shopkeepers make transactions, businessmen hurry about, and children play around in the side streets. It’s a timeless sort of peace, a snapshot into ordinary life, and a domesticity Keith never dreamed would be his to experience, even for a short while.

Behind them, Kosmo woofs quietly. “Hmm?” Keith makes a sound of inquiry, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

Shiro, however, tugs him to the side. “A cat café!”

“A what?”

Keith looks to where Shiro is pointing. It’s a shop, with cute signage of a coffee cup and paw print hanging over the doorway. Above the display window are letters in English characters that say COFFEE NYOW, and through the window, Keith can see people having drinks at normal-looking restaurant tables, but with several cats wandering around, and a scattering of animal toys on the floor.

Keith feels his eyebrows furrowing. “I didn’t think cats could drink coffee.”

“A cat café isn’t a café for cats. It’s where you go to play with cats, while drinking coffee or other beverages.” Shiro sounds calm, explaining what the place is with matter of fact words, but Keith can hear the excitement he’s trying to hide.

“Do you want to go in?” Keith asks.

“Oh, we don’t have to. I don’t think they’ll let Kosmo in.” Shiro smiles sheepishly at the wolf. Most places, not unreasonably, do not allow a six foot tall wolf into their premises. The oden stall yesterday had luckily been of the traditional, outdoor variety.

Kosmo blinks at them and slowly trots to the front of the store, attracting some attention from the patrons nearest the window.. He sniffs around for a bit, turns in a circle, and settles down underneath the display window, clearly prepared to take a nap in the warm sunlight that shines on him.

Keith laughs and walks over, bending down to scratch behinds Kosmo’s ears, before getting up again and gesturing to Shiro. “Come on, let’s check this place out.”

As they walk in together, an old fashioned bell jingles from above the door.  

“Welcome!” A barista greets them in Japanese from behind the counter. “Have you been here before?”

Knowing that Keith isn’t quite comfortable to taking to others in Japanese despite his semi-fluency, Shiro answers. “Ah, no, we haven’t.”

“For the cost of one drink or 500 yen per person, you get entry to the main lounge where the cats are. It’s not a busy time right now, so you can stay as long as you want. We have the right to remove you if you cause the cats distress. The menu is here and the rules are to your left.”

Keith looks over the menu, which contains standard coffee shop items, including lattes, frappes, and tea. He orders an iced mocha while Shiro gets a chai latte.

The café is split into two sections. They entered into a narrow space with just the food service counter. Both the wall and door that separates them from the dining lounge where the cats play are made of glass on the upper half, allowing them to easily see what’s happening there.

A series of plush shelves decorate the far wall, creating a climbing wall for the cats to play on. Keith watches as a tawny cat leaps from one shelf to the next, until it reaches a bed at the very top and settles in to observe what happens below, like a king observing his subjects.

There’s a chalkboard above the door that has a series of rules on it:

  * Be respectful of the animals
  * Don’t pick up the cats
  * Children must be supervised at all times
  * Keep your voice down
  * Photos and video are fine but no flash photography
  * There is a zero tolerance policy to anyone who causes the cats distress
  * All cats are available for adoption! Please speak with an employee for further details.



Keith likes cats and even nominally had one growing up, if you can consider a feral barn cat a pet. Which, you can’t, but Keith had called him Crookshanks for his temper, if not his appearance, and Crookshanks even responded to the name once or twice. But, Shiro?

Shiro loves cats. Keith knows, because Shiro used to religiously play the virtual reality game  Neko Atsume X, where cats would come and interact in your house. Keith thought it a bit odd, when they first met, that Shiro would regularly check on digital cats that didn’t even have hunger or happiness meters. Apparently, Shiro’s grandfather was allergic to them, so he couldn't get a cat growing up. Then he moved to America, to the Garrison with its strict no pet policy.

The Atlas has a more forgiving pet policy, what with all the animals the paladins collected. Keith knows a few members of the crew with pets from Earth and alien planets too, but no cats, to Shiro’s well-hidden but not-completely-secret disappointment.

Even now, as they wait, Shiro stares through the glass wall separating them from the cats and watches impatiently, fingers tapping against the countertop in absentminded rhythm.

“Your drinks are ready!”

They pick up the drinks and head to the other lounge. Keith sips his mocha, enjoying the balance of chocolatey sweetness and bitter coffee, and half expects Shiro to start vibrating out of sheer excitement.

It’s clear Shiro is already enamored with the cats wandering around, so Keith navigates them to a free table where they can set their drinks down. On each table is a laminated copy of the rules from outside, but with further explanations.

Maybe seven cats wander the lounge. It’s _maybe_ not because Keith can’t track a few animals milling around, but because there a few that go in through a flap in a back door and different cats that come out. But on average there are seven cats at any given time.

Shiro picks up a feather toy and tries to entice the nearest cat, a fat black cat splayed on the tile with its hind legs bent interestingly out instead of tucked under. Shiro has…mild success.

The cat bats lazily at the feather being dangled in front of it, but when Shiro lifts the toy higher or farther away, the cat simply puts its paws back down and gazes uninterestedly at him. Shiro tries a few more times to catch its interest before deciding to switch tactics.

He gets out of his chair and kneels in front of the cat, trying to make himself look as small as possible. Left hand outstretched with palm down, Shiro slowly approaches, letting the cat sniff his fingers before it accepts being pet.

Keith watches as Shiro becomes laser focused on the cat, stroking its fur, scratching behind its ears, and giving it a belly rub when it flips over. Pulling out his datapad, Keith takes as many photos as he can of the interactions. He even catches Shiro cooing “you’re purring!” when the cat starts rumbling under Shiro’s nibble fingers.

Eventually, the cat must have enough of human interaction, since it starts pawing at Shiro’s hand with claws out and gently bites at him. Shiro retreats his hand in respect of the cat’s desires and lets it wander away.

Another cat, a sleek calico, hops down from the shelf above to their table and sniffs at their drinks.

“No.” Keith says.

The cat looks at him, eyes seemingly narrowing, as if it’s locking wits with him.

“No.” Keith repeats, eyes definitely narrowing at the cat.

It meows woefully at him but does not attempt to access their drinks and flounces away to another corner of the room.

“Aww, there’s no need to be mean.” Shiro says as he slides an arm around Keith’s waist.

“You have to be firm with animals, and not give into their attempts on human food. Don’t think I don’t know you sneak Kosmo extra treats when I’m not looking.”

Shiro laughs nervously. “Well, he’s a good dog. Good dogs deserve –”

The Altean prosthetic that grips Keith’s arm jerks as a sleek white blur neither of them noticed jumps onto it.

“Ahh—  no— kitty—” Shiro lets go of Keith in favor of balancing the cat, who won’t stay still on his prosthetic. There’s some awkward maneuvering as Keith tries to get out of the way without knocking over the table or chairs or drinks, and Shiro dances about with a cat dangling from his arm.

“Okay— come on—” Shiro struggles with the cat, who is now on his shoulder and trying to walk across from one side to the other.

“Please— gotcha.” Finally, the cat holds still, now safely cradled in Shiro’s arms. It immediately starts purring and nuzzling at Shiro, like it hadn’t just caused a commotion.

“Oh, it’s cute when it’s not trying to take you or your arm for a ride.” Keith says, coming in to look closer. The cat has long, pure white fur and golden eyes. Its limbs are still a bit out of proportion, indicating its still growing, and it only has one hind leg. When Keith is in range, it stretches its head out to lick at the hand Keith is extending towards it. Keith reaches under its chin and scratches there.

“Yoko-chan! I’m so sorry, she’s never done that before. She hardly even comes to the public area.” A flustered café employee makes her way over. “She’s usually really shy with new people. I’m surprised she’s letting you hold her like that.”

“You said her name is Yoko?” Shiro asks.

“Yes, our darling sunshine girl. Her fur seems to glow and sparkle in the sunlight.  She’s had a rough life, born on the streets as far as we can tell, and is still less than two years old. She been with us for an entire year though, because she’s too shy to venture very far past the flap.” The employee, who has a nametag saying “Haru” next to the same coffee cup and paw print logo of the shop, gestures at the cat door to an employee’s only area.

“A whole year?” Shiro’s dismay colors the strangled tone of his voice. “And nobody’s adopted her?”

The cats here are all rescue cats up for adoption. There’s a sign on one of the walls that tracks how many cats have been adopted from the cat café so far. Keith doesn’t know when the café opened, but 219 cats have found homes from here. But not little Yoko.

“That’s— Keith.” Shiro all but whines, blinking plaintively at him.

“What? Shiro, we live in space most of the time. Most of the pets on the Atlas are in cages or tanks. Kosmo has the freedom an animal of his size needs because he is a space wolf adapted to harsh conditions.”

“The Holts bring Bae Bae along.”

“Bae Bae _is_ a Holt, and that entire family was meant for space.”

“Come on, look at her! A whole year. And we match.” Shiro hunches in his neck, bringing Yoko closer to his face, and putting on the best set of puppy eyes Keith has ever seen.

Keith looks at the two of them. Shiro’s wide eyes scream _say yes,_ while Yoko blinks innocently. It’s not that Keith doesn’t want to adopt Yoko. She’s a cute cat, and friendly, with a scrappy spark that he respects. Rather, it’s that there are many things that can go wrong, especially in space. From the way she pounced onto Shiro’s arm, he can tell she’ll be getting into all sorts of trouble.

But Shiro makes for a compelling argument, and a year is a hell of a long time to not get adopted, especially for a cat so young. Shiro took a chance on him when Keith was young and scrappy. This is what people mean by _pay it forward_ , right?

There’s just one last concern.

“What if she and Kosmo don’t get along?”

Keith and Shiro both have their own set of rooms, but Keith, and therefore also Kosmo, live in Shiro’s larger Captain suite – which still isn’t very big, given the need to maximize the limited amount of space aboard the Atlas. Kosmo gets along with the space mice and Kaltenecker just fine, but the space mice have enough sentience to understand he’s not a threat and nothing disturbs Kaltenecker. Yoko is dwarfed by humans, but humans are surely a familiar sight. And while there are plenty of cats that do get along with dogs, Keith isn’t sure about the compatibility between cats and space wolves.

“Oh.” Shiro’s face drops – which is unacceptable in Keith’s books.  

The employee, Haru, cuts in, unable to understand the conversation he’s having with Shiro.  “What’s the problem?”

“I already have a...dog.”  Keith doesn’t know how to say _space wolf_ in Japanese and doesn’t want to just say _wolf_.  He points towards the window that Kosmo is napping under. “He’s waiting outside right now.”

“I see.” She hums. “Yoko is good with other cats, but I don’t know if she is good with dogs. Will your dog behave around her?”

“Yeah, he should.”

“We do adoptions after hours anyways. If you’re serious, you can return after the café is closed, and introduce Yoko and Kosmo to each other, see if they will get along.” She’s hopeful, on the edge of pushy, and must really want Yoko to get adopted.

“That should work, right Shiro?” Keith looks to where Shiro is with Yoko, who now drapes across his shoulder like a new fashion statement.  

Shiro is only half paying attention, choosing instead to baby talk at Yoko. “You’ll get along with Kosmo, right girl? And Bae Bae and the mice and Kalty, and the other paladins and crew. We’ll go on adventures together, yeah?” He strokes behind her ears. “You would like that wouldn’t you? Get out of this place and into the stars.”

Keith heart clenches at the words, which hit a bit too close to home. Yoko is a beautiful cat. Even with a supposedly shy personality, a young cat like her should be in and out of this place in moments, not stuck for over a year. The only explanation Keith can of is that people don’t want to bother with a shy, three-legged cat.

His mind is made up. “We’ll be back after closing hour. Please have everything ready, we’ll adopt her. Is there a fee?”

He arranges everything with Haru as Shiro talks to Yoko and she meows back, a regular chatterbox. It feels right, watching them. The perfect addition to their little family.

\--

They all return to the café at 4pm, just as it’s closing. Keith and Shiro still go in through the front, and are ushered into the now empty main lounge. There’s an awkward explanation of how Kosmo wouldn’t easily fit into the narrow café doors, cut short by Kosmo teleporting in. Haru looks at Kosmo a little startled and a little more disbelieving, her expression clearly saying that Kosmo isn’t a dog without her uttering a word on the subject. She carries out Yoko in a carrier cage, places the carrier on the ground, and opens the latch.

Yoko pokes her nose out, sniffing gently for a moment, before bolting towards Shiro and climbing up in a flash.

“Whoa. Hi. I missed you too.” Shiro get ahold of her and tucks her in close. Under his gently petting, she starts to purr. “There’s someone you need to meet. Will you two get along?”

Shiro walks over to where Kosmo is laying down in an attempt to look smaller. Kosmo’s alert eyes track the pair as they approach but waits calmly on the ground. Shiro turns Yoko so she can see the space wolf.

There’s a soft meow as Yoko leaps from Shiro’s arms onto Kosmo’s head, causing him to startle. She trots down his back, reaches his tail, and then turns back towards the head. Then she perches there and begs to be picked up again.

Keith laughs. “I guess it won’t be a problem.”

\--

That night, they go to sleep on the futons, Keith wrapped around Shiro as best he can as a big spoon that is smaller than the little spoon. Yoko lies between pillows at their head and Kosmo sprawls over their feet.

They head back to the Atlas tomorrow—back into space, back into the fight for freedom. But tonight, they rest, four lonely creatures who despite all odds found family in each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading <3 Kudos and feedback are much appreciated. Come say hi on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/FaiaSakura) or [Tumblr](http://faiasakura.tumblr.com)!


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